Eat Sleep Die

Äta sova dö

A warm and unique tale of “the new Sweden” seen through the eyes of Raša, a feisty but loveable 21-year-old tomboy.

Even if a screening is sold out, tickets are often available 30 minutes before the start of the film at the box office at each venue.

Director-Screenwriter Gabriela Pichler

Producer China Åhlander

With Nermina Lukač, Milan Dragišić, Ružica Pichler

Sweden 2012

103 mins

Sales The Yellow Affair

Raša Abdulahović doesn’t take any shit. She’s a 21-year-old tomboy Balkan immigrant, devoted to her father, friend to everyone and queen of the local salad-packing plant. Raša feels happily rooted in the small rural Swedish town she’s grown up in. Everyday life may be tough, but her easy charm ensures there are plenty of good times to be had, too; eating, drinking, singing and hanging out with friends. But when a ‘review of company operations’ at the factory leads to her being laid off, Raša’s small, contented existence is suddenly challenged. Drawing on personal experience alongside original research, debut director Gabriela Pichler crafts a warm and hugely enjoyable tale. Raša’s story is told with respect and insight, with the focus refreshingly on the unsentimental and the unsensational. If that sounds worthy it isn’t. Eat Sleep Die is a great ride and offers a marvelous portrait of a woman we’d probably all like to know.Sarah Lutton

Director statement

I wanted to make a film about the people I’ve always loved – but was ashamed to be part of. I wanted to redefine the Swede’s image of Sweden and national identity. I wanted the leading role to be an intense, cocky, straight-forward Muslim working-class girl who doesn’t give a shit what others think about her. I wanted to portray a father-daughter relationship I never got to see on-screen when I was a young girl. I wanted to tell the story of young people today, in the midst of the European unemployment crisis, trying to adapt to a contradictory society.Gabriela Pichler

Director biography

Born in 1980 in Huddinge, Sweden, to Bosnian and Austrian parents, she left her job in a cookie factory to attend the School of Film Directing in Gothenburg. In 2009, her graduation project – the short film Scratches – won the Swedish national film award, and was named Best Film at the Fresh Film Festival in Karlovy-Vary. Her films focus on social class and cultural identity, and seek authenticity and the unexpected in everyday life. Eat Sleep Die is her debut feature film.